I just returned froman awesome week in NYC and was able to avoid Starbucks for the most part.

I made a trip down to Stumptown roasters which was great as well as Porto Rico coffee in the Village.

Probably my most memorable experience was with a guide who took us into Chinatown after walking across the Brooklyn bridge.

We were hungry and she knew a great Vietnamese restaurant where we stopped.

She ordered a Vietnamese iced cofee, and I ordered mine hot.

I had never had a chance to enjoy the brew before and enjoyed this very flavorful coffee with sweet condensed milk on the bottom so much, I have just ordered this very simple single brewer that I plan on packing when I travel.
http://www.espresso-machines-and-cof...fee-maker.html
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Welcome to my world :-)
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Any tips you could share?

It looks easy, but I'm thinking the right grind amount and courseness will play a role.
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My recipe - 2T medium grind topped with 2T water over a loosely affixed filter to wet the grounds; follow by snugging the filter gently and top with 2 ounces off-the-boil water dripping on 2T sweetened consensed milk in a 12-oz. tumbler. 10-15 minutes drip time sez you have the filter screwed down right for the grind. Stir, top glass with iced. Optional: add milk to top off the tumbler, stir, drink.
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The coffee they were using was Cafe Du Monde, but I suppose a fresh roasted home blend would work as well?
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Nguyen Coffee grounds are just as good as Cafe Du Monde.

I fill the drip with grinds up just below the center shaft. Then place the press thingy on and pack in the grinds. Fill it up with hot water once then again and mix that with condensed milk, the amount is your preference. Then just pour over ice and drink...I'm sure you know this but the more pressed the grinds are the slower the drip so you can mess with that too. Best to do it at night so that you don't have to wait in the AM for coffee.
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I never found a coffee that made bad Viet Iced Drip. I used everything - it's always good but, of course, the fresher the better.
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The stuff they were using was French roast, which is slightly darker than I feel comfortable pushing my Behmor to roast, but I'll give the full city plus a try.

It's been along time since I bought coffee in a can.
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I just go to Vietnamese coffee shops. There's more than coffee there :-)
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Yeah, now I'm craving some more Pho.

I'm glad our guide steered us to the Vietnamese place in Chinatown as I have driven through little Saigon in Orlando dozens of times and never thought to stop in.

My cultural horizons have been broadened.
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Shizzz now you say pho, I want some! Vietnamese Rice plates are good too, try it next time, make sure you pour that fish sauce over the rice.
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He meant something else. More of the silicone variety. Oh and uhm....ewwww
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THATS for sure:-)
Looks like thy're cracking down on a famous one though
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano.../my-entry.html
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I'm telling June! :-)
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that means you're coming to SoCal? :-)
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Yup...just a few weeks after. :-)
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I usually go for the jackfruit juice shakes. Will have to order one the next time!
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argh!
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There's always news reports about the "massage parlors" in the Vietnamese section in Orlando getting busted up for happy endings, so it might be a thing not limited to here.

As far as the VM coffee brewer, mine came in and I have not been able to get satisfactory results as of yet.

I've been tinkering with the grind and find the main problem is that by the time the brew is finished, the cup is lukewarm and this might be due to the long drip time or the cold condensed milk.

Not being difficult, but I don't like iced coffee.

No big deal, the brewer was under 10 bucks.
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cafe seda..been drinking it for years..stuff rocks but strong as hell
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